Written Answers Wednesday 1 February 2006

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, if it is successful in its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, whether it will ensure that sporting competitions are located around Scotland, such as equestrian events in the Scottish Borders.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council have received advice from the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland indicating that the prospects for Scotland’s bid to be successful are maximised if the events venues are as close together as possible and if the use of these facilities is maximised where possible.

  Therefore it is likely that, should Scotland be successful in its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the majority of sporting events would be based within or close to Glasgow. All of the bid partners are, however, committed to ensuring the bid is one that involves and benefits the whole of Scotland.

Alcohol Misuse

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is normally recorded in cases where the cause of death is recorded as being alcohol-related.

George Lyon: : Every death that occurs in Scotland is registered under the civil registration system which is operated by local councils on behalf of the Registrar General. The information collected and processed through the registration system creates the death registers of Scotland and these can be viewed by any member of the public. A computerised statistical record of the death registration is also created. This is used to answer customer and other enquiries and to produce the statistics that appear in the publications of the Registrar General. The statistical database can provide information at an individual level or data can be grouped together to provide counts for many different demographic or personal variables.

  The registration process and the nature of the information that is required to register a death is the same for every death irrespective of the cause (or causes) of death. All causes of death that are recorded by the certifying doctor are coded according to the rules and regulations of the World Health Organization as defined in their publication The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – Tenth Revision (ICD10).

  There is no definitive methodology for deciding if a particular death was alcohol-related. The staff of the Registrar General normally use a pre-determined list of ICD10 codes to identify those causes of death regarded as being most directly the result of alcohol consumption. The list is not exhaustive and indeed the Office for National Statistics have just completed a consultation exercise seeking views or comments on an expansion of the list that they presently use to identify alcohol-related deaths. Depending on the outcome it is likely that Scotland will follow their recommendations for purposes of comparability.

  The ICD10 codes that are normally used to answer questions about alcohol-related deaths cover key causes of death that are known to be associated with alcohol and comprise:

  F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol.

  I42.6: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

  K70: Alcoholic liver disease.

Alcohol Misuse

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths recorded as being alcohol-related in the last five years haemochromatosis was noted as a possible cause of death.

George Lyon: : In the five years, between 2000 and 2004, there were 15 deaths where the underlying cause of death was alcohol related and haemochromatosis was mentioned on the death certificate. In the same period there were a further 13 deaths where the underlying cause of death was haemochromatosis and alcohol related diseases were mentioned on the death certificate.

Birds

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps Forestry Commission Scotland is taking to further the conservation of black grouse, following recent survey results which indicated a significant decline in their numbers.

Rhona Brankin: : Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) is working closely with partners such as Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB and the Game Conservancy Trust in a co-ordinated approach to conserving black grouse, a wide ranging species that needs a balance of moorland and young woodland habitats.

  Within the national forest estate, FCS carries out a range of operations to conserve black grouse, including lek counts, enhancing habitat by thinning and felling woodland to create more open and edge habitat, cutting vegetation to improve habitat for young chicks, and incorporating suitable long-term habitat structures in forest design plans.

  FCS also offers grants and guidance under its Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme for similar conservation measures in private woodland, as well as marking or removing fences in areas where black grouse or capercaillie may fly into them. The grants cover 90% of costs in priority areas for black grouse, near to known lek sites.

  In conjunction with its partners, FCS is analysing the results of the recent survey to determine options for further conservation work.

Community Safety

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it has allocated to the Inverclyde area under the Community Safety Award Programme.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive made available a total of £346,704 to Inverclyde over the period 2002-05 under the Community Safety Partnership Award programme. A further £312,033 has been allocated to Inverclyde under the revised Community Safety Partnership Award programme over the period 2005-08.

Dental Health

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children aged (a) five and under, (b) six to 12 and (c) 13 to 18 have had teeth extracted in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) NHS board area and (b) deprivation category, expressed also as a percentage of all children of these ages.

Lewis Macdonald: : The information requested is detailed in the table: Number and percentage of children who have had teeth extracted; 2001 to 2005; by NHS board area and deprivation category; years ending 31 March a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38761).

Environment

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much land it expects to be reclaimed and cleaned in the next five years.

Rhona Brankin: : Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 empowers local authorities to carry out inspections within their areas for the purpose of identifying contaminated land and to secure its remediation. At the time the contaminated land regime came into force in 2000, little was known about the true extent and nature of contaminated land and it was not possible to set targets for overall progress.

  The Executive has, therefore, provided resources for the purpose of supporting local authorities in carrying out their statutory responsibilities for identifying and investigating contaminated land within their areas. In addition, funding has been provided for remediating approximately 144 hectares of contaminated land on specific sites. It is also likely that additional contaminated land will be remediated by developers in compliance with conditions in planning consents.

Equal Opportunities

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the formal remit is of the strategic group on ethnic minority employment and whether the group will be action and outcome oriented.

Malcolm Chisholm: : As stated in response to the answer to question S2W-19177 on 3 October 2005, the group’s formal remit will be agreed at its first meeting on 20 February 2006. The short-term outcome of the strategic group will be to produce an action plan to address the current inequalities that exist for minority ethnic communities in the labour market in Scotland.

Equal Opportunities

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the strategic group on ethnic minority employment will be led by the Minister or Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.

Malcolm Chisholm: : The group is to be chaired by Dr Charan Gill MBE. The Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and I will also sit on the group.

Equal Opportunities

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the strategic group on ethnic minority employment will set specific targets to address racial inequalities in the labour market and, if so, who will be responsible for monitoring these targets.

Malcolm Chisholm: : These are matters which members of the strategic group will wish to consider in developing its action plan.

Housing

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it imposes any conditions on local authorities regarding the provision of grants for roof repairs for privately owned houses and, if so, what these conditions are.

Malcolm Chisholm: : The Scottish Executive does not impose on local authorities any conditions that are specifically concerned with the provision of repairs or improvement grants for roof repairs. It is for the local authority to decide whether to make such a grant, except where it has chosen to serve a statutory repairs notice, when it must approve an application for grant for works in the notice. The link between such a notice and grant will be removed as part of the package of changes to local authority enforcement and assistance powers in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 which will be implemented over the next two years.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what Glasgow Housing Association’s (GHA) capital expenditure has been on its housing stock from the date of transfer of the stock to GHA.

Malcolm Chisholm: : I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Since transfer, GHA has directly invested over £262 million on modernising and improving tenants’ homes.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much private finance has been drawn down to facilitate Glasgow Housing Association’s (GHA) capital expenditure on its housing stock.

Malcolm Chisholm: : I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  GHA, in its statutory accounts to 31 March 2005, records no loans drawn from private lenders. GHA’S business plan dated November 2004 shows no requirement for private finance to the year ending March 2006.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much private finance it is estimated will be drawn down by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Malcolm Chisholm: : I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  GHA’s Consultative Draft Business Plan 2006-07, identifies private funding levels of £33.356 million in 2006-07 and £101.554 million in 2007-08.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what Glasgow Housing Association’s (GHA) expenditure on external (a) consultants and (b) advisers has been since the stock transfer date on its (i) capital investment programme, (ii) business planning, (iii) second stage transfer and (iv) organisational development.

Malcolm Chisholm: : I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  This is a matter for GHA, the information is not held centrally.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary or seconded staff Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) employs on (i) investment and regeneration, (ii) support services, (iii) local housing organisation staffing and (iv) concierge staffing, showing how these figures compare with the numbers employed in March 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: : I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Information on registered social landlords is collected through the Annual Performance Statistical Return (APSR) maintained by Communities Scotland. Information that we hold for GHA in the APSR, records the total number of staff employed by GHA in 2002-03 as 1,827, and in 2003-04 as 2,062. No further breakdown of these figures is held centrally.

NHS 24

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the procedure in place in respect of the arrangements between the First Minister’s residence and NHS 24.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what clinical basis the arrangements that are in place between the First Minister’s residence and NHS 24 were introduced.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis it was determined that special arrangements for access to NHS services were required by the First Minister’s residence.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will cease the special arrangements the First Minister’s residence has with NHS 24.

Mr Andy Kerr: : Arrangements have been in place prior to devolution to ensure the provision of appropriate medical assistance where necessary for people attending Bute House, which is used for overnight stays as well as for regular Scottish Executive business. These arrangements are kept under close and constant review. The arrangements apply to all persons using Bute House, including staff, visitors, contractors and ministers, including the First Minister.

  Standing instructions are that where someone falls ill or sustains an injury and appears to need medical attention, a call is made to the Scottish Ambulance Service. The ambulance service operator will decide, using standard procedures and on the basis of information provided by the person calling from Bute House, whether it is necessary to send an ambulance. Where this action is not considered necessary, the Bute House caller will be advised to call NHS 24. NHS 24 has put in place a standard procedure for dealing appropriately with calls from Bute House, to ensure confidentiality and consistency. Where, following assessment of information provided by the Bute House caller, NHS 24 decides that medical attention is required NHS 24 will (in line with the standard procedure) either provide advice to the caller about how best to obtain this attention, or arrange for a healthcare worker from NHS Lothian to make a home visit to Bute House. The precise arrangements will depend on whether the call has been made during or outwith working hours, as well as on the symptoms and other circumstances.

  These arrangements help to ensure that any person who falls ill or sustains an injury in Bute House receives appropriate medical care. Bute House is the only Scottish Executive building which is categorised as a residence, and procedures to ensure that residents, including visiting dignitaries etc, have access to medical advice or assistance have been in place for some time. These procedures support the day-to-day management and security of the building. They do not in any way affect the services provided by NHS 24 to the general public.

NHS 24

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the services provided by NHS 24 to the general population.

Mr Andy Kerr: : Since the publication of the independent review team’s report in October 2005, NHS 24 has been working very hard to implement the recommendations. In the last few months this work has begun to pay off - performance in relation to access to the service has been improving and there has been a reduction in the reliance of call back. This improvement in performance continues to be monitored closely by the Health Department.

  Over the traditionally busy festive period, NHS 24 and its NHS partners endeavoured to ensure that patients in Scotland continued to receive a responsive and high quality service. It is evident from the early performance information for primary care out-of-hours services that the whole system performed well despite sustained pressure over the two four day holiday periods, and that responsive services were maintained overall.

  Additional NHS 24 call handlers and nurse advisers played a significant part in delivering this improved performance. In addition, NHS boards, as agreed, accepted and managed untriaged calls from NHS 24 over the period, dealing with nearly 10% of the total call volume – 81,563 calls were received by NHS 24 over the two four day periods, with 7,691 passing directly to NHS boards for triage. These successes are down to real partnership working, and delivered improved services for patients at a time when high levels of peak demand placed considerable pressures on resources.

  The service standards are significantly better than those achieved across the 2004 festive period and owe much to both the strength of planning and to the sheer dedication and professionalism of front line staff. Clearly much of the winter remains ahead of us, and the test of the robustness of overall winter planning continues.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21260 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates whether failure to meet a particular contractual commitment is not a breach of contract in relation to all contracts it or its agencies sign or just in the specific case of the contract with Premier Prison Services Ltd to operate HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Cathy Jamieson: The answer to question S2W-21260 and the previous question, S2W-21258 on 15 December 2006, made reference to the contract for the operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock. In general terms, contracts reflect particular sets of circumstances.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the quality of responses to written parliamentary questions provided on its behalf by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service

Cathy Jamieson: The Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has responsibility for providing answers to written parliamentary questions on operational matters as defined by the SPS Agency Framework Document. I have the opportunity to review all parliamentary questions answered on my behalf before they are issued.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to end the practice of slopping out for remand prisoners at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, given the view expressed by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in the preamble to his inspection report of March 2005, that "it is very upsetting that the only remand prisoners who are regularly slopping out are under 21 years of age".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Polmont is currently undergoing a refurbishment costing over £90 million which is due to be completed around 2007-08. As part of this redevelopment, most existing areas referred to in the Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) Report will be replaced. Young people on remand are no longer held in "slopping out" accommodation, Spey Hall has already been closed and a purpose built activity centre for programmes and work has been opened. A second activity area and further accommodation are planned for next year. As part of the development of the regime at Polmont, specialised training is provided for staff as required.

  The SPS responds formally to recommendations in HMCIP Reports. Responses are published on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk. In addition to these recommendations, HMCIP may also list some "Points of Note." In responding, the SPS note these without commitment. They may be taken into account by local managers, and will be balanced against managers’ judgement about resources available, any savings which might be required, and the operational balance of the establishment."

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that the initiative of increasing portions of food available at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont was abandoned because it "caused such an increase in cost", as stated by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 2.4 of his inspection report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  There have been several local initiatives designed to change and improve the menus at Polmont, by providing both bulkier high calorific food and, by integrating vegetables in selected meals, to improve the nutritional value while remaining within the budget.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that children under the age of 16 are not held in prison, as recommended by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 8.45 of his inspection report of May 2004 on HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont.

Cathy Jamieson: : The Executive’s policy is to avoid, wherever possible, holding young people under the age of 16 in prison. In the exceptional circumstances where it is deemed necessary, it must be for the shortest appropriate period of time.

  Very occasionally, and only when the courts decide, would an under 16 be held in prison or young offenders institution for the shortest possible time until a suitable secure place is available.

  To ensure we meet the needs of this very vulnerable group of young people, we are investing £18 million to support the redevelopment of the secure estate. An additional 29 places will be provided. The overall estate will be 125 places when the redevelopment is complete in 2007.

  We have also developed a range of alternatives to secure care. The Intensive Support Fund, announced on 19 December 2003, was set up to improve the range of intensive support and supervision available in Scotland; to improve the quality of care in secure and to improve aftercare arrangements for young people leaving secure.

  The first phase of Intensive Support and Monitoring Services is being implemented. This intervention can offer a direct alternative to secure accommodation for some young people, in appropriate circumstances.

  Detaining young people is not a decision that is taken lightly, but we must balance the welfare of that young person with that of the community they live in.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will resolve the issue identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.1 of his inspection report of March 2005 on HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont that children under the age of 16 are being held in that institution "as a result of their being deemed by Secure Units as too difficult to be held", despite his earlier recommendation of May 2004 that children aged under 16 should not be held in a prison.

Cathy Jamieson: : The Executive’s policy is to avoid, wherever possible, holding young people under the age of 16 in prison. In the exceptional circumstances where it is deemed necessary, it must be for the shortest appropriate period of time.

  The normal expectation is that a child will remain in the same establishment until their release. Transfer to another secure unit or to a young offenders institute will only be considered if a child’s behaviour becomes completely unmanageable within the current placement or where, for example, the child is convicted of further serious charges which suggest that the child would present an unacceptable risk to the safety of other residents or staff. Conversely, where a child makes suitable progress he or she will be considered for a move from a secure establishment to an open setting within the child care system.

  The majority of those children who are recorded as being held in adult prisons are children whose behaviour is so challenging that the courts have certified them as "unruly".

  These special arrangements are in place in order to protect those children whose behaviour is so challenging that it would be inappropriate to place them in local authority secure accommodation at that point in time.

  Staff in secure units already have well developed skills for dealing with difficult behaviour in a secure setting. Further training and development which will enhance these skills is on-going within each unit.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve arrangements for access to sanitation and hygiene in Argyll Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, given HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ assessment in paragraph 11.2 of his inspection report of March 2005 that his earlier recommendation for improvement, detailed in paragraph 2.4 of his report of May 2004, has been only "partly achieved".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272,on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The hall is compliant with the SPS hygiene control circular. Argyle Hall is due to be emptied in early in 2007 when the new Houseblock is completed.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out the procedures for infection control and monitoring in both Argyll and Spey Halls at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, referred to by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraphs 11.2 and 11.3 of his inspection report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22277 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The information requested has been published on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk, and copies of which have been lodged in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 38686 and 38687).

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve conditions in Dunedin Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont which were described as "basic" by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.4 of his inspection report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Since the time of the report significant improvements have been made to both the facilities and regime within Dunedin Hall. A new segregation unit will replace Dunedin as part of the development currently being carried out a Polmont.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve the situation in Dunedin Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont which was identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.4 of his inspection report of March 2005 as having seen "little improvement in what is a very limited regime".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22279 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve the reliability of the emergency cell intercom system in Iona Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont which was identified as being "problematic" by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.5 of his inspection report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The problem identified has now been fixed.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how far advanced plans are for the new reception in HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, referred to by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.6 of his inspection report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  New reception facilities are planned as part of Phase III of the development at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address the situation in HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraphs 11.8 and 12.1 of his inspection report of March 2005 as having insufficient work places for the convicted population.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in respect of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ recommendation in paragraph 11.10 of his inspection report of March 2005 into HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont that "the system needs to be reviewed to ensure that young adults do attend" their health centre, dental, psychology and social work appointments and "that there are adequate interview rooms available".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  A new system has been introduced to facilitate young offenders attending the health centre.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to improve conditions in Argyll Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, as recommended by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 2.5 of his inspection report of May 2004, but assessed as "not achieved" in his report of March 2005.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  In addition, a cleaning routine and audit system are now being introduced into Argyle Hall.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to improve the situation identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 12.7 of his March 2005 inspection report into HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont where no alternative recreation is offered if a young adult refuses exercise when it is raining because "staff resources would be stretched to have exercise and recreation operating simultaneously".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The Governor does not regard this as a priority for action.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the reasons for not allowing individuals in Iona Hall at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont have not been examined, as recommended by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 2.35 of his May 2004 inspection report, but identified in paragraph 12.12 of his March 2005 report as "not achieved".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The SPS do not consider this to be a priority. Prisoners dining in-cell is common across the SPS estate.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to comply with the recommendation of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 5.32 of his inspection report of May 2004 that HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont "needs to provide training for staff specific to the needs of working with their unique population" but identified as being only "partly achieved" in paragraph 12.28 of his March 2005 report.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  It should also be noted that the staff at Polmont have been praised on many occasions for the innovative approach they take to working with young people and the quality of the service they provide. Polmont recently won the first ever competition for best practice in health care in prisons, run by the World Health Organization for overall excellence of its health service.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address the situation in HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont, identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 12.38 of his inspection report of March 2005, that accommodation used for educational programmes "is still insufficient".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  A new facility is being constructed and should be available by early 2007. It should also be noted that Polmont is fully meeting its education targets.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the Scottish Prison Service not accepting the point of note identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 7.6 of his May 2004 inspection report into HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont that "some non-accredited classes in the learning centre would benefit from a clearer focus on achievement".

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22272 on 1 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  These comments refer to the previous education contract. A new contract was put in place in April 2005.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-20860 and S2W-21634 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 November 2005 and 16 January 2006, why the Scottish Prison Service holds information on staff turnover for prison service staff across the United Kingdom but not in OECD nations or EU member states.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service holds detailed turnover information only for its own staff. The UK average referred to in my answer to question S2W-20860 on 29 November 2005 is taken from The Annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey on recruitment, retention and turnover.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many points for testing marine renewable energy devices have been established at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney.

Nicol Stephen: : The European Marine Energy Centre has two test sites for marine devices; a wave test site and a tidal test site.

  Four berths have been established and are available for use at the wave site. Five cables have been installed at the tidal site.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Child Care

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body why the recommendation, resulting from the review of child care options for the Scottish Parliament, that there should be an on-site dual function nursery-crèche facility in Holyrood was rejected.

Nora Radcliffe: At its meeting on 27 February 2001 the SPCB considered options for a nursery-crèche service, noting the need to ensure any facility conformed to the statutory requirements for nursery provision.

  The SPCB recognised the twin desires of:

  supporting "family friendly policies" by providing direct childcare support for members and their staff and SPCB staff in the form of an on-site nursery, and

  facilitating access to and engagement with the Parliament by providing crèche facilities for visitors.

  On balance it decided that the User Brief be amended to require the provision of a crèche instead of a nursery within the Parliamentary complex as this would support public engagement with the Parliament while also being available to members and their staff and SPCB staff for emergency use.

  The SPCB supports child care responsibilities generally by the provision of Childcare Vouchers (= to a max of £54.80 per week per family). The benefit of this support [over direct nursery provision] is that it supports a range of childcare options regardless of where these are delivered geographically. This is especially important in the context of the Scottish Parliament in which many of the members and staff live significant distances from the Parliament.

Members’ Dining Room

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by how much it has subsidised the members’ dining room to date and what subsidy it will provide in future.

Kenny MacAskill: The members’ restaurant is available to all passholders on a Monday and Friday and is also used to host official functions and events. The bar area is accessible to all passholders.

  The estimated total subsidy across all the Parliament’s catering outlets between August 2004 and December 2005 is around £650,000. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the members’ restaurant, since some costs are generic, but we estimate around £100,000. This has been calculated by apportioning to the members’ restaurant a percentage of the total cost of labour and other overheads of all catering services.

  The future subsidy will be determined by usage, service level and tariff policy. Whilst usage is beyond our control, a business decision is taken by the SPCB to set the tariff, which determines the income, and service levels, which control one of the costs. Usage aside, the subsidy is driven by and controlled by that business decision. While we will keep these matters under review, we have no current plans to make major changes and subsidy is likely to continue at broadly the same level.

Parliament Building

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many complaints have been received regarding repairs required to the Parliament building since it was officially opened.

Kenny MacAskill: Between November 2004 and December 2005, 112 requests for maintenance repairs were recorded by the helpdesk. Since migration, 2,165 building project snags and complaints have been reported by building users and forwarded to the Holyrood Project Team to investigate and resolve. The majority of these were minor and have been resolved. The aim is to close out remaining snags, including those resulting from the on-going final snagging inspection exercise, by end of June 2006.

Scottish Parliament Allowances Scheme

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it considers that there were any issues arising from the most recent presentation of MSPs’ expenses and, if so, what action it will take in future in this regard.

Nora Radcliffe: In accordance with its wish to be more open and accessible with regard to expenses, the SPCB has established a Joint Working Group of members and officials to look at issues. It is recognised that, in publishing information on MSPs allowances, adequate explanatory notes are required to aid an understanding of the information being provided. Taking account of representations received arising from the 2004-05 financial year information published in December 2005, the SPCB will expand explanatory notes for the 2005-06 information on allowances which are pooled.

Scottish Parliament Procurement

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will investigate a means whereby contracts for the provision of catering in the Parliament are drafted to ensure that the menus in the members’ dining room use Scottish-sourced produce, while remaining compatible with European procurement legislation.

Kenny MacAskill: Our contractor is currently reviewing its menus to introduce traditional and contemporary Scottish dishes in the members’ dining room.

  The SPCB cannot adopt a policy which specifies that all produce must be Scottish as this is not permissible under European procurement law. We pursue sustainable development objectives in the catering service contract in line with our Responsible Purchasing Policy. This covers, for example, food production, packaging, wastage, nutrition, healthy food, freshness, fair trade products and local sourcing. We encourage local supply. The contract already specifies the use of fresh and seasonal produce and our contractor is working with us in the sourcing of local produce taking account of quality, price and health and safety standards of suppliers. Examples of locally sourced products are, salmon, pork, most root vegetables, cheese and milk.

Visitor Services

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress is being made in respect of the introduction of ushers to the services offered to visitors to the Parliament.

Duncan McNeil: A review of support provided to events in the Scottish Parliament is currently underway. This will report to SPCB before April. It will include consideration of how ushers are provided for visitors.